Chelsea

Arsenal and Chelsea will donate Community Shield money to Grenfell Tower fund

Published Jun. 23, 2017 12:55 p.m. ET

Alex Dowd

Arsenal and Chelsea have both pledged to donate their match fees from this upcoming August's Community Shield to the Grenfell Tower fire victims. The match is expected to raise roughly £1.25 million, which will be donated to the victims of the apartment building fire in London that claimed dozens of lives.

Arsenal executive Ivan Gazidis said, "The club stands side by side with Chelsea in reaching out to the community and expressing our support and solidarity for those who have lost friends and family, their homes and their sense of security in the wake of this tragic event."

Chelsea also offered condolences to those affected and said, "We believe it is appropriate and timely that the first major football match involving top-flight clubs to take place in our city since the tragedy will be dedicated in such a way to the victims and survivors, and to the enormous number of heroes of the rescue operation, especially given this occasion’s long history of being played for the benefit of the wider community and people in need of support."

Those attending the match will also be given the opportunity to donate an additional £5 to the victims with the purchase of their matchday tickets. Survivors of the apartment building fire, families of the victims and emergency services personnel will be in attendance for the match, which serves as the unofficial start of the new soccer season in England.

Traditionally rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea are coming together to show solidarity for their shared city. Playing in a match called the Community Shield is the perfect platform for them to raise support.

Get more from Chelsea Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Chelsea

Arsenal

English Premier League

Community Shield